Using your car as a lathe (Polishing)

Done it loads of times. Works very well and perfectly safe. If FWD you pull the handbrake on and chock the front wheel that's on the ground. Don't do it if you have an LSD - or if you do, have both front wheels off the ground.

I've done it on RWD as well, but this had LSD, so I just jacked the whole back end up, blocked the front wheels and stuck it in gear.

Just take it steady and work your way up through the grades of W&D until you're ready for the autosol/polishing cream treatment.

No axle stands!!!!

It's a golf so its front wheel drive. However as it's dark and cold I'd like to see how I could get a similar setup (lower revs) in the shed.

why didnt someone tell me about this earlier? could have saved so much time.

hose from the exhaust and out a window?

like these

And make sure you have a mobile phone handly to call for ambulance if things go wrong and your arm gets ripped off !
I can't believe people are considering doing something so dangerous as using a running car.

Paul H

If the car is properly stabilised/chocked and set-up, what is so dangerous compared to having a mop-head in a drill? It's just a large lathe and, as said, perfectly safe as long as the car is made so that it can't go anywhere.

To me, this is far safer than someone angle grinding with thir hoodie drawstrings hanging out (just one example of things I've seen in pics on this very forum)

Guess you've never done this then? I've used this techniques countless times over the last 20 years + and still have a full compliment of limbs and digits. It's no more dangerous than doing it in a lathe. I some ways it's actually safer than a lathe.

You can't leave the chuck key in

Handy for refinishing and giving a more authentic look to (fake) Moon discs I found.